Veggie Pizza

This is my mom's and I pizza. We cook a lot together; although we bump heads in the kitchen sometimes...(she claims its her kitchen and I claim that it's mine). I love to cook with my mom and I've learned countless kitchen secrets from her that I will use of the rest of my life, as a young cook, mother/ wife, and old grandmother.

 

After the whole artichoke fiasco and struggles, we fell in love with the roasted jarred artichoke flavor and started to cook with it more often. This is one of the first pizzas we made using artichoke!

 

It is extremely easier to make because you just dump all the ingredients on there to be honest. Its a quick and easy dinner-- its also pretty healthy, considering all the veggies and calcium you're getting from the cheese!

Ingredients:

Store bought pizza dough
1 cup of tomato sauce (you could use my recipe :) )
1/2 cup of chopped roasted or pickled artichokes (from the jar is fine...that's what I used!)
1/3 cup chopped fennel 
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
3 Tbs ricotta cheese
3 cloves of minced roasted garlic
1 large ball of sliced mozzarella
1 Portobello mushroom
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt


Assembly:
Preheat oven to 370 degrees

 

1.) Take the pizza dough, and on a floured surface, roll out the dough until about 1/2 inch thick and looks like a deformed circle.

2.) Cover a pizza pan with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place pizza dough on the pan and form/stretch it so that it covers the surface of the circular pan.

3.) First, cover the pizza with a layer of tomato sauce, then add slices of mozzarella cheese all around. Add teaspoon sized dollops of ricotta cheese here and there as well, until the pizza is nicely covered with cheese.

4.) Next, top the pizza with fennel, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes-- until the edges of the crust is golden brown, cheese is melted and veggies are roasted.

5.) When you remove the pizza from the oven, sprinkle 1 tbs of salt on top. I also like to drizzle more olive oil on top as a finish. Adds yumminess also!

 

Cut into squares or triangle slices, I prefer triangle because it looks more traditional, is easier to eat and cut!

 

Eat up!!

Its even better the next day ;)

ENJOY

 

<3 Babushka

Polish style Jambalaya!

I have always wanted to cook jambalaya! I don't know what it is about this dish but it just sounds fun!

So...I decided to go for it and cook jambalaya! Now, I'm not sure if this dish can actually be called jambalaya because I've never seen it be cooked or tasted it before making this dish. So call it what you will, I'm calling it jambalaya because it tasted hella great and sure looked like jambalaya from the Google search I did afterwards! :)

 

My dads exact words, "You got another pot of that stuff? NO?!... Better get started on the next pot then".

 

Ah,, you can always count on daddy to make you feel confident about your cooking :) If my dad approves, then this dish is golden...(he's always been a picky eater)

Now all I've got to do is take this recipe down to New Orleans and get their approval!

 

p.s.. this is "Polish Style Jambalaya because I used smoke Polish sausage!

Ingredients:

5 links of smoked Polish sausages, cubed
20 shrimp ( you may leave them whole with the tail, whole without the tail or cubed them, whatever you prefer. I just removed the tail and cut them in half)
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
3 cups of chicken stock
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 diced sweet potato
1 diced red pepper
1 diced onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup of white wine
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you prefer spiciness)
2 Tbs fresh parsley
2 Tbs green onions
2 Tbs fresh chives
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Assembly:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.)  In a medium pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add in rice and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until fluffy. Add in 1 Tbs olive oil when rice is finished cooking.

3.) In a large pot, heat oil and add in 2 cloves of garlic. Once golden brown, add in diced onion. Cook until caramelized. Add a pinch of salt and pepper

4.) Put the diced sweet potato on a baking sheet with olive oil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Check up on them after 15 minutes, and stir them around so they don't stick to the baking sheet.

5.) Meanwhile, add cubed sausage into garlic and onions. Stir and allow sausage to brown.

6.) Add wine and both vinegars to the sausage, as well as the tomato paste, reduce heat and allow for the wine to reduce a little bit, about 5-7 minutes. Pinch of salt and pepper.

7.) Add in chicken stock, bring to boil and reduce to a simmer. Add in uncooked shrimp to the broth, along with the fresh and dried herbs.
8.) Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, so the shrimp cook. Add in sweet potato while shrimps are cooking and after 5 minutes of the shrimp being in the broth, turn off the heat. Add cooked rice into broth and stir.
9.) Taste the broth. If not seasoned enough, add the appropriate amount of salt and pepper.

Serve right away!

ENJOY

<3 Babushka

 

 

 

Rustic Roasted Veggie Spaghetti

This spaghetti recipe came about because my mom bought artichokes and had no idea what they were. I've never actually cooked with them, but I've watched them be cooked on Food Network countless times, so I thought: No problem.

Let me just tell you....problem.

Artichokes are extremely hard to cook and are sure stubborn vegetables! No matter how long I cooked that artichoke, the leaves were tough, chewy and not edible at all. The only part that was edible (the artichoke heart) is TINY and I felt like I was wasting good vegetable.

 

Don't beat yourself up if you cant cook artichokes either...There is a reason why the word "choke" is in there: if you try to mess with it... (that was me trying to joke lol)

 

So I decided to give myself a break because I wasn't going to be able to cook the damn thing anyway, so I bought pickled artichokes in a very cute glass jar and used them in this spaghetti dinner.
Turned out delicious and very fulfilling! Especially since I didn't have to image myself banging my head against the counter top while cooking this time around with the artichokes!

This spaghetti dish is super yummy, filled with nutritious veggies and is perfect for any season or occasion!


Ingredients:

1/2 box of spaghetti
3 large pickled artichoke hearts (roughly chopped)
2 large carrots (peeled into strips with a potato peeler)
1 onion (diced)
1 parsnip (cubed)
1 cup of wine
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs of dried herbs (parley, oregano, basil, cilantro and thyme)
2 Tbs of tomato paste
1/2 Tbs of red pepper flakes
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

1.) Bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil, and drop in spaghetti. Cook until al dente.

2.) Peel carrots with a potato peeler into medium sized strips. Set aside in a bowl.

3.) In a large pan, heat olive oil, add in diced onion and cook until golden brown. Add diced parsnip. Cook until fork tender, or brown.

4.)  Reduce heat and slowly add wine. Bring to simmer and allow most of the alcohol to cook off. Add in balsamic, apple cider vinegar and tomato paste. Allow sauce to simmer and reduce. Add in 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock, stir and remove from heat and add in chopped artichoke hearts into sauce.

5.) Incorporate spaghetti into the sauce. Add in the fresh and dried herbs, as well as salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

6.) Drizzle 1 Tbs of olive oil on top. May be served hot right away, served cold, or made in advance and served at a later time.

ENJOY

<3 Babushka

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Easy and quick to make, tomato sauce!

Yield: about 1 1/2- 2 cups of sauce

Ingredients:
5 large Roma tomatoes (you could use other kinds if you'd like)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

1.) In a sauce pan, or Dutch oven like I used, heat oil until hot, add diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let them simmer for about 10 minutes.

2.) Add chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir, then add water and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

4.) Turn off heat, and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

5.) Take the sauce and carefully pour it into a blender, and pulse until smooth. ( I leave mine a little chunkier!)

 

Great on pizza, pasta, Mexican dishes...etc!

 

  

ENJOY

<3 Babushka

Chocolate Pancakes

 

My mom and I had just finished eating dinner one night when she told me she was still hungry. This hardly ever happens...I turned to her and, in shock replied, "What do you want me to make you?"

I decided to make my mom chocolate pancakes as a post dinner snack lets call it. They took me less than 10 minutes to prepare, and I was all finished in under 20 minutes. I used the simplest ingredients: whatever I had in my fridge. Ultimately I could've made just plain old pancakes, but I saw the almost empty jar of Nutella in our cupboard, and I chose to add some hazelnut spice to my evening.

 

These pancakes are almost soft when you eat them, and the chocolate isn't overpowering at all; it gives the hint of chocolate to all the right taste buds.

If you're looking for a healthier chocolate option, follow my recipe! If you would like something sweeter, simply add either 1/2 cup of honey or granulated sugar to this recipe :)

 

Yields: around 6 pancakes

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour

1 egg

1 Tbs of olive oil

1/2 cup of Nutella

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

3 Tbs of vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup of milk (add more if the batter is not liquid-y enough)

1 1/2 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

 

Assembly:

 

1.) In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cocoa powder and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat the egg and slowly drizzle in olive oil. Add yogurt, Nutella and milk. Whisk until all are combined.

3.) Slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds. Mix until you have reached a smooth consistency (you might have to add a little more milk if the batter is dry).

4.) Heat oil in a large frying pan. When you see the oil start to lightly smoke, ladle in batter into pancakes of desired size. Let them cook until little bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and until the edges appear brown. Flip the pancake and fry for another 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Serve with maple syrup, honey, jam, preserves or yogurt. I made my moms with raspberry preserves, Greek yogurt, and topped them with fresh figs. You can add more Nutella, fruit or whatever you would like!

 

 

 

 

 

ENJOY

 

<3 Babushka

 



Autism Speaks!

Hello Everyone!

 

I mentioned earlier in my introduction that I am an intern at Autism Speaks for the summer of 2013. Although my internship is only for a short while, I have been an advocate of supporting people with disabilities my entire life, and plan on supporting Autism Speaks and their cause for a long time.

 

I am raising money for Autism Speaks; I ran 5k last weekend, and plan on running for Autism Speaks  every other race that I decide to run as well.

 

If you would like to donate, or know anyone who would like to please visit my donation page:

http://events.autismspeaks.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1048330&lis=1&kntae1048330=9464E0869FAD4EF3A139DC4ED287B231&supId=384435615

 

 Any amount is greatly appreciated and welcomed! Please spread the word about Autism Speaks and continue to be kind to one another.

 

Please visit the Autism Speaks website if you wish to find out more about our organization:

www.autismspeaks.org

 

or email me with any questions:

claudiamgrabowski@gmail.com

 

Thank you for reading my blog, please post any comments or questions! :)

 

 

<3 Babushka

Polish Beet Pancakes

These Beet Pancakes are a twist on the traditional Polish placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes)!

 

Potato pancakes are a staple food in Eastern Europe, and many Middle Eastern countries, such as Israel. I remember helping my mom and grandma make these when I was a little girl; I had the job of mixing :) I love making potato pancakes to this day, they're still one of my favorite foods, but trying to cook healthier foods, I came up with the idea to use beets instead! Beets are also a very common food, that is incorporated into many Polish dishes, so we always have a couple of beets stocked in our fridge.

 My family and I absolutely love these pancakes and they go faster than they fry!

Absolutely delicious :)

Ingredients:

Pancakes-
2 beets, peeled
1/2 diced onion
2 eggs
1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp died basil
1 tsp dried parsley
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce-
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of chopped dill
1/2 a large cucumber, grated
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Assembly:

Beet Pancakes

1.) In a medium pot, bring about 5-6 cups of water to a boil. Add peeled beets, and let them boil until the surface of the beets is fork tender; you've cooked the beet too long if the entire beet is fork tender.

2.) Drain the beets and rinse them with cold water, until they are cooled off enough to handle. Grate the beets in a large bowl (make sure to include all the juices!)

3.) Add 1 Tbs of olive oil, and the remained of the ingredients to the grated beets and mix. You might have to add more flour depending on how much juices the beets release; you want to consistency of cake batter.

4.) Heat the rest of oil in a large pan. Once the oil has heated, form the beets into tennis ball size, add them to the pan, and press them down to make a flat pancake. (You can make the pancakes bigger or smaller).

5.) Fry them until golden an crispy on one side, flip and fry them until golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate covered with paper towel to drain the excess oil.

 

** The pancakes are not going to be perfectly round, its okay if they come out a little deformed, mine always do!

Cucumber Sauce

1.) In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix together and top beet pancakes!

 

Serve immediately! Best when hot!

 

 

** Everyone loves how bright red these turn out! Also, the red pancakes with the sauce on top resembles the Polish flag!! :)

 

ENJOY

<3 Babushka